In the first traffic fatality of the year in Bellevue, a 24-year-old Bellevue man died late Monday night after his car spun out of control and hit a tree in the Lakemont neighborhood and flipped over. The cause of the accident was under investigation. The victim's identity was not released pending notification of next of kin.

A neighbor reported the accident after hearing the impact shortly after midnight. Bellevue Police and Fire units responded. Rescue units extracted the driver from the car and tried to revive him. Police closed Village Park Drive from west of Southeast 55th Street to Southeast 66th Street to investigate.

The initial investigation revealed the man’s sports car was eastbound on Village Park Drive on the south side of the street. The vehicle crossed over the center line near Lakemont Park, left the road and started to spin left, perpendicular to the roadway. The car hit a tree and rolled onto its right side.